The Child That Fell
by RedroseNYAN
Summary: Everyone knows the story of Mt. Ebott, so why did Frisk go to a place so dangerous? One-shot. Gender Neutral Frisk.


It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining, not a cloud to be seen. Nearby several birds were chirping, singing nature's song. On days like these, the children of the surface-

"Hey look, I'm Frisk! Bleeeh!"

...were complete jerks.

Frisk tried their best to ignore the kid standing in front of him, expression neutral. Keith, one of the many children who picked on them, was pushing against the sides of his eyes, mocking Frisk's own unusually narrow gaze. Kids giggled and laughed as the boy mocked them, imitating Frisk's voice in a goofy tone.

"I can't see, my eyes are too small! I dress like a dweeb because I'm blind as a bat!" Keith laughed, dropping the act to smirk at Frisk. "Ain't that right, Frisk? Or are you really as dirt poor as they say?"

Frisk didn't say anything. They had long learned that nothing they could say would make kids stop bugging them. If they just ignored him, he'll get bored. Maybe. Probably not.

Keith laughed anyways, poking Frisk roughly in the shoulder, making them flinch. "What, are you deaf too? Man, you've got everything wrong with you!" Children laughed along, another boy coming up and shoving Frisk. They yelped a bit as they stumbled back, falling onto the grass. Still laughing, the kids started to move on, Keith calling back, "see ya tomorrow, sissyboy!"

Frisk sighed, picking themselves up. As much as they wanted to do do something about those jerks, Frisk couldn't bring themselves to fight back. Teachers never listened, and when they did, they only passed on the problem to Frisk's guardians, who never really cared about Frisk anyways. That's what happens when you're stuck in foster care with 6 other kids. The guardians stop caring about the "problem" ones. Dragging their feet, Frisk headed back home, brushing off as much dirt as they could. Ms. Orkin hated it when Frisk came home in dirty clothes.

Frisk turned onto their street, frowning as they glanced at the other houses. On the outside, they seemed like nice homes. Most had two floors, the lawns were well-kept, and there was a decent car in every driveway. This was all just for show though. This neighborhood was quite low class. The people here struggled financially, though they all seemed obsessed with trying to keep up a more prosperous image. Frisk never understood why, especially when no one was fooled.

Frisk stopped at their house. It was much like the others; a two story house with two SUV's in the driveway and a relatively clean lawn. However, as Frisk made their way inside, a whole different story was told. A pile of letters and envelops was piled just beside the front door, the occasional box tossed nearby. The living room was cramped, 3 kids squished together on a narrow couch as they tried to watch TV. Their were a few pictures on the wall, but they were undermined by the numerous stains and crayon masterpieces that everyone complained about but no one cleaned.

Frisk walked straight to their room, which they shared with one of the older kids. He wasn't there yet, but Frisk expected that. Kevin had made them swear not to tell anyone about his recent drug habit.

Tossing their bag onto the bed, they reached under the bed for their favorite book. Admittedly, Frisk was supposed to return it last week, but they didn't finish it in time, so they just kept it. It was a romance novel about a man and woman stranded on an island after their cruise ship sank. Frisk loved these kind of sappy love stories, but everyone thought they were weird for liking them. Boys don't read romance novels or something like that.

Frisk frowned when the book was not in its usual place. Did Kevin move it? A bit annoyed, Frisk searched through the mess of a room, checking drawers and braving the piles of clothes. Eventually, they found it wedged between the dresser and the wall. Smiling in relief that it wasn't lost, Frisk decided to look for a better place to read. That room was starting to stink (there was probably an old pizza slice hidden somewhere).

Frisk's usual privacy spot was the old walnut tree in the backyard. Sitting between the roots, they opened the book...only to be interrupted before they could begin.

"Frisk! Get over here!"

Frisk sighed. It was Ms. Orkin. Tucking the book under their arm, Frisk headed back inside, finding Ms. Orkin in the messy kitchen. She scowled, arms folded. "I got a call today from the school. You haven't been turning in any of your homework for your classes!"

Frisk lowered their head, silent. They had done the work, but the bullies at school always ambushed them and took it, threatening to beat Frisk if they ratted them out.

Ms. Orkin sighed. "Look, this has got to stop. You make messes, you break things, you steal, and now you're ignoring school? What kind of future do you expect to have if you keep this up?" Frisk said nothing, looking down at their book. "Frisk, tell me you'll do your work!"

Frisk nodded, saying softly, "yes ma'm." Suddenly she snatched the book out of Frisk's hands, making them gasp in surprise, reaching for it. "Hey!"

She scowled at them. "No more books until you do your homework! Understand?" Frisk frowned, but nodded. She didn't know it was overdue at least.

She smiles, pleased with herself, turning the book over to look at the cover. She perked a brow. "Island of Passion? Isn't this an adult novel?"

Frisk put on a neutral face, hopping that they weren't blushing. It indeed was an adult novel, but Frisk liked it anyways. Just something in the writing really appealed to them. Ms. Orkin opened the front cover to glance at the summary inside and gasped. She picked up a small bag filled with a white powder that had been wedged inside, looking to Frisk in horror. "What the hell is this?!"

Frisk looked at it, stunned. Kevin must have hid it there! "That's...not mine."

Ms. Orkin scowled. "It's in your book! You better tell me the truth, young man! Where did you get this?"

"It's not mine!", Frisk cried desperately.

"Then whose is it?"

Frisk hesitated. They had made a promise... As much as they disliked Kevin, Frisk always kept their word.

Ms. Orkin grabbed Frisk's arm roughly, making them squeak in surprise and fear. "I will not tolerate harboring drugs in my house! I'm calling the police and you are going to tell them who gave this to you!"

Frisk paled. This was bad. What if they went to jail? Frisk jerked their hand out of her grip, making a run for the backyard. Frisk's guardian yelled angrily at them, but they didn't stop, hurriedly squeezing through the loose board in the fence and racing out into the wilderness. They kept running and running, starting to cry as they thought about what was waiting behind them. Hateful classmates. Cruel foster kids. A guardian who never cared for them in the first place. They couldn't go back. There was nothing for them. They wished they could have at least gotten the book back before they left. Then they could have finished it...

Frisk ran until they were too tired to continue, plopping on the ground in exhaustion as they looked around. Frisk hadn't really been paying attention to where they were running. Just away from there.

This part of the woods seemed unfamiliar, but Mt. Ebott was clearly visible beyond the trees. That mountain was a cursed place, said to be the way into the world of monsters beneath it. None who had ever gone there had ever returned. Nobody dared to go there.

It was perfect.

Pulling themselves back to their feet, Frisk started walking towards the cursed mountain, fixated on it. There was no better place to go. If it took them somewhere else, then maybe they would have a better life. Or maybe they'll just die there like the rumors say. That didn't sound so bad. It was better than suffering one more day. Maybe they would see their mom and dad again...

Frisk felt something new inside of them when they reached the foot of Mt Ebott. It was...

Determination.


End file.
